STAR-LORD's FATHER Revealed ... James Gunn Explains in Detail

Ending years of speculation, the identity of Star-Lord's father in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies has been confirmed. Peter Quill's father is apparently Ego (known in comic books as Ego The Living Planet), played by Kurt Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

The casting was confirmed at the Marvel Studios panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego. It's likely Russell's version of Ego won't be seen as an actual "living planet" like his comic book counterpart, and he reportedly raises Pom Klementieff's character, Mantis.

In footage of the sequel showed at Comic-Con, Russell reportedly introduces himself to Peter as his father and explains that he constructed a human form for himself.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as a Thor supporting character, the comic book Ego has been both a villain and a protagonist. He is literally a sentient planet with a face - a direction unlikely for Kurt Russell. The character also has a connection to the Elders of the Universe, two of whom - Benicio Del Toro's Collector and Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster - have or will appear in Marvel films.

Writer-director James Gunn took to Facebook after the panel to explain the character in detail...

This is the biggie, I guess. And, yes, as many people guessed, or assumed, Kurt Russell is playing Peter Quill’s father. And Peter Quill’s father is (as almost no one has guessed)…

EGO.

Known in the comics as Ego the Living Planet.

Yeah, his dad is a planet. Sort of. It will all be explained in the film..

But to me, this is the absolute center of Vol. 2, and one of the reasons I’ve been so excited about it. When Marvel first approached me with the first movie, I thought, “Wait a second? A talking raccoon? Isn’t that a rather ridiculous idea to base a movie around?”

It was then that I took a step back and asked myself: Okay, if a raccoon could talk, and shoot a machine gun, how could that be? And answering that question ended up being the entire foundation of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. There was a sadness in the answer. Rocket was an animal experimented upon, torn apart and put back together, without compassion. He was the only being of his type, had never known any hint of kindness, and was utterly and completely alone until he met his fellow Guardians. And, one of them in particular – Groot – thought it was worth sacrificing his life for his sake. This melancholy and beautiful undercurrent helped to ground the character for me. He had far more in common with Frankenstein’s monster than he did Bugs Bunny. And I related to him, greatly, and I hoped other folks who felt like outsiders would as well.

Ego seemed, in many ways, like an even more ridiculous character. But I asked myself, if a planet was alive, how could that be? And how could it father a child?

The answers to those questions took me to a far deeper place that I expected. I don’t want to give away too many answers at this time. But what Nova Prime said about Peter’s father at the end of Vol. 1 is certainly true – he is something ancient and unknown. And, as we will discover, being a cosmic being, alone for eons, is perhaps even more lonely than being the universe’s sole talking raccoon.

I can’t wait for you guys to see Kurt Russell bring this character to life onscreen. It has been a rapturous experience creating Ego with him. We have both pushed ourselves as far as we can go in making him real, and grounded, and emotionally centered.

Other bits Gunn revealed were:

The Ravagers are a big part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 according to Gunn, and not just the henchmen of Yondu anymore. After Yondu let Quill off the hook at the end of the first film, a group of the Ravers have become “mutinous” and are led by Taserface (played by Chris Sullivan). Joining him are Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Wretch (Evan Jones), Half-Nut (Jimmy Urine), Brahl (Stephen Blackehart), Gef the Ravager (steve Agee), Oblo (Joe Fria), and Narblik (Terrence Rosemore).

Michael Rooker’s Yondu is still in the picture however, returning with the “big-ass fin” he’s known for in the comic books.

Credit: James Gunn

Another returning star outside the team is Karen Gillan’s Nebula. According to Gunn, he has had “major plans” for her character since he first met her during the casting of the original movie.

Also confirmed was the casting of Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, A.K.A. Karma, A.K.A. Her, A.K.A. Kismet, who in comic books is a product of the same experiments that created Adam Warlock (A.K.A. Him) before ascending to cosmic power. According to Gun, Ayesha comes from a “genetically-perfect people” named the Sovereign. She serves as their High Priestes and "is not a woman to be screwed with.”

Sylvester Stallone is confirmed to be a part of the film. And while Gunn didn’t clarify what the iconic action movie star’s role would be, the writer/director admits to being a bit of a fanboy to have him part of the film. Stallone’s character interacts with Yondu in the montage to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 released at Comic-Con.

The two songs played during the montage – “Come A Little Bit Closer” by Jay and the Americans, “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac – aren’t necessarily part of the Awesome Mix Vol. 2 compilation.

Other casting news from the Marvel Studios panel includes the confirmation of Mads Mikkelsen's Doctor Strange role as Kaecillius, and the official announcement of Rachel McAdams as Doctor Christine Palmer, formerly known in comic books as one of the stars of Marvel's short lived Night Nurse, both of which were previously reported.

Doctor Strange is scheduled for release on November 4 of this year, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled for May 5, 2017.